


sleepless in

by fishhheart



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28852662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishhheart/pseuds/fishhheart
Summary: "I was hoping that I would run into you again," Ares says, turning to look at Hypnos fully, dedicating his attention to the younger man entirely. Ares' unwavering focus doesn't make Hypnos so nervous anymore. Really, he's learned to soak it up now, like a sunflower turning to face the closest star."The most peculiar thing happened to me and I had been wishing for the opportunity to share it with you," He continues slowly, building up anticipation that makes Hypnos shudder. How exciting. Someone saving a moment of their life to share specifically with him. It makes him feel special.Hypnos leans in close, making sure not to miss a word.
Relationships: Ares/Hypnos (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is so long for no reason  
> im sorry i just think hypnos and his brothers are neat. if youre looking to get right to the ares part just skip like the first 3000 words of painfully mundane background info hahaha  
> also i realized i avoid dialogue so enjoy lots of descriptions of things and feelings  
> oh and i tried my best with tags but i'm a little unfamiliar with this site... but hopefully nothing is wrong!!

The sun is just setting under the horizon, lighting the cityscape with a heavenly orange and pink gradient. Illuminated by that peachy light dancing through the half shut blinds, Hypnos pokes his head up from where he rests, lazily at first, before realization strikes. Then, from beneath his pile of blankets on the living room armchair arises Hypnos, phone dropping to the hardwood floor in his hurry to escape the warm nest he had haphazardly created for himself. His hair sticks up messily on one side, the other plastered flat to his head from being smothered under all that weight. 

He tumbles out from his seat, dragging blankets and pillows across the floor with him as he makes his way to the bedroom he shares with his brother. Luckily Thanatos isn’t home yet, so Hypnos is safe from being nagged about the importance of punctuality. 

Hypnos grabs his bag for work and bolts out the room again, stopping only to scoop his phone up off the living room floor before dashing out the front door. He struggles with forcing his shoes on while stumbling down the stairs, knowing that even a second spared to pay them proper attention could mean missing the next train into the city. 

It’s a Saturday night and it’s cold out, icy air hitting Hypnos the second he gets out of his apartment complex. He almost wishes he had paused to grab a jacket off the coat hooks by the door, but decides that the brisk walk to the subway station should be enough to shake the cold from his body. 

By the time Hypnos gets to work Thanatos must be home. The odd hours of being a polysomnographic technician are admittedly harsh on Hypnos’ physical wellbeing, but at the very least he finds himself grateful that it allows him to avoid sharing his freetime with Thanatos who works regular shifts during the day. 

Despite how tired it makes him, Hypnos does like his job. His patients seem to like him, relaxing as he chatters mindlessly about whatever comes to mind during the process of preparing them for monitoring. And then they’d be off to sleep, leaving Hypnos wishing he were a patient too. 

Maybe being a sleep technician on its own wouldn’t be so bad, but that wasn’t quite Hypnos’ case. Instead he ends up pouring his attention into textbooks between patients and during breaks, trying to catch up on the full-time course load he had taken on at his local university. Because sure, Hypnos made a decent earning at his job, but he had just made it out of the dreaded unpaid training era of his work, and was learning that even with a paycheck, the job wasn’t fulfilling enough for him to dedicate his life to it. So he was trying to further his career. Only it was really, really tiring. 

Hypnos tells himself it’ll be worth it though, and that maybe he can catch the essence of rest through monitoring the sleep of others, even if he can’t indulge in the desire to sleep himself. 

It isn’t until 6:00 am that he’s making his way back to his apartment, quietly slipping past the door and dropping his bag on the living room floor before collapsing back on the armchair he had risen from last night before his shift at the medical center. His feet feel ice cold. He buries himself deeper in the pile of blankets and tries to shake the perpetual coldness that grips at him. When he closes his eyes, sleep comes eagerly. 

Then three hours later he’s jostled awake by his twin brother. _Ah, it’s Sunday._

Their older brother Charon is coming over. 

Thanatos has no clue how exhausted Hypnos feels. And Hypnos doesn’t have the heart to tell him that maybe today they should skip hanging out. But he’s really so, so, _so_ tired. 

Instead he flashes a careless smile when Thanatos scolds him, “You’ve overslept again, don't you know Charon will be here in another fifteen minutes?” Hypnos doesn’t think it really matters, it’s not like Charon can’t wait an extra fifteen minutes in their living room. Maybe he could even help himself to a snack while Hypnos took a shower. 

“Sorry, Than, you know me. Always so sleepy.” Hypnos pulls himself off the armchair with all the energy he can muster, his back protesting with aching pain after hours of being pressed into the uncomfortable curve of the seat. 

Thanatos is already gathering the mess of blankets from where Hypnos left them, complaining aloud, “I don’t see why you don’t just sleep in your bed, it’s perfectly functional. Shouldn’t you know better about the ideal conditions for rest?” Hypnos doesn’t answer, preoccupied with finding a clean pair of clothes and a towel before heading for the bathroom. Thanatos remains unfazed by the lack of response, announcing for Hypnos to hear, “I’m going to put these blankets aside for when I go to the laundromat.” 

When Hypnos gets out of the shower, curly white hair still damp, Charon is already there in their living room, just as Thanatos had predicted. 

Hypnos grins. “Hey Charon, when did you get here?” 

Charon looks unamused, but not particularly bothered, and ignores the question to look at Thanatos for an answer instead. 

“He’s been here long enough, Hypnos. Can we get going? I have plans later this afternoon too, you know.” 

As usual Hypnos laughs at his brother’s grumbling that he’s so accustomed to, “Ok, ok, wouldn’t want to take up too much of your precious time!” 

Thanatos opens the door for Hypnos, Charon following behind. As Thanatos locks the door Charon takes the time to greet Hypnos properly now, wordlessly ruffling his younger brother’s still wet hair. His expression appears unchanged, but Hypnos reads affection in the action nonetheless. 

Hypnos’ brothers are not very expressive, to say the least. Charon is a man of few words, not because of his being mute, Hypnos decides, but because he simply isn’t of a talkative nature. And Thanatos...well to anyone who didn’t know him, he came across as annoyingly stern and too serious. Hypnos attributes those traits to their mother. 

But despite what Hypnos would say were less than friendly attitudes, Hypnos really did love his brothers. Even when his relationship with their mother suffered from years of unreasonably harsh expectations, and eventually withered away all together, Hypnos still had his brothers. 

But sometimes they felt so different from him. Thanatos was his twin brother for crying out loud, and yet he knew that his twin was more like Charon than he was like him. It makes him feel like there must be something wrong with him, but he never tells the other two of such feelings, because he doesn’t want to strain their relationship and eventually lose them in the way he lost his mother’s care. 

That’s another reason why Hypnos doesn’t know how to say no to any plans the other two make. He worries that one wrong move would have his brothers suddenly unwilling to even tolerate his presence any longer. Hypnos doesn’t want to lose them.

Anyway, they don’t all three hang out _that_ often; Charon is a very busy accountant, or something like that. Hypnos just knows he does something with counting and math and money. The details evade him, but Hypnos doesn’t mind, because all that really matters is that birthday cards from Charon always come with a generous check. 

Thanatos, meanwhile, is a much more constant presence in his life, by his side from the start, quite literally as they were twins. Yet now as adults they work opposite hours of the day and Thanatos is always preoccupied with a multitude of things, it seems, so really, these days even his twin brother doesn't spend time with him too frequently. 

The three spend much of that morning together, stopping for coffee before Thanatos drags them to the library so that he can pick up a few books. Thanatos is busy scouring one shelf for something in particular and Charon is content to watch him silently, but Hypnos doesn’t like the silence so much.

“Hey Than, I don’t get why you’re always having to research. There can’t be that many butterflies,” he questions just loud enough for only his brothers to hear. 

Thanatos whips around, glaring incredulously. “Not this _again_. Hypnos I’ve told you, there are thousands,” he turns back to the shelf then, but continues grumbling, “and I like to take my job seriously.” 

Hypnos laughs. “ _Wow_ , Than. You really do care about bugs! I’m starting to believe that you actually are busy all day because of them!” He glances in Charon’s direction, hoping for his agreement, but he only shakes his head in exasperation.

Thanatos works at a butterfly conservatory, and having gone directly into college after high school unlike Hypnos who had taken time off, had graduated and landed himself a pretty solid position in pursuing research in entomology. In all honesty, it made Hypnos feel a little under accomplished.

It’s not that it was glamorous or incredibly well paying the way that Charon’s job was, but Thanatos was good at what he did and took pride in it. That made Hypnos wish he were good at something too. Or that he had at least worked harder to keep up with his brother.

“I do not spend all my time with insects,” Thanatos begins to correct him, only to remember that that was what he always told Hypnos originally. “Well… I do spend a lot of my time, but not all of it. I’m busy with a lot of things, not that you’d understand.”

Hypnos nods in agreement, whispering a small _wow_ as if he believes his brother. “So true, Than.” 

Charon and Hypnos both know very well that Thanatos is lying and that he spends most of his free time with some boy he met during one of the days that the conservatory was open to visitors. Charon has the decency to play along with Thanatos’ poor attempts at hiding the truth, but Hypnos likes to tease Thanatos. He doesn’t really understand why Thanatos tries to hide it anyway. If Hypnos had someone who liked him so much he'd brag about them all the time.

Their time together comes to an end on a similar note. Thanatos notices the time and suddenly anxious about being late to some undisclosed event, tells Hypnos and Charon that he has to go, running off in the direction of the nearest subway station without waiting for a proper goodbye. Charon only shrugs when Hypnos rolls his eyes and laughs.

So, Charon and Hypnos part ways too, taking their separate routes home. Truthfully, Hypnos is relieved to finally catch a break. He tries not to fall asleep on the train home, head bouncing against the rattling window that he leans against.

When Hypnos gets home, he’s exhausted, but he makes the effort to head towards his actual bed, his spine probably thanking him for the mercy from the cramped space of the living room armchair. He shuts his eyes, feels his head swimming with foggy thoughts that he can’t focus on and _almost_ remembers that he’s forgotten to set an alarm for tomorrow’s classes. 

He wakes up in a bad mood. Not that it shows. People who knew Hypnos probably assumed bad moods didn’t even exist for him. Hypnos was pretty good at putting on a happy little act. 

But he’s in a bad mood. He missed an entire lecture due to oversleeping and by the time he makes it to campus, he’s missed half of another. At that point it feels like he might as well have taken the entire day off to conserve his energy for another shift at the medical center. 

He grudgingly resigns to trying to make up for lost time by committing himself to studying in the university’s library, but he finds it harder and harder to focus between the buzzing annoyance at himself and his inescapable lethargy. 

Another wasted day. He feels like he isn’t moving anywhere in life. Thanatos and Charon were getting further and further ahead while Hypnos wasted away in senseless dreams. Maybe his mother was right to decide he was a lost cause. 

Hypnos heads home just before it gets dark. He runs into Thanatos in the hallway of their apartment building, reusable grocery bags in one hand and his phone in the other. 

Hypnos smiles and waves. “Hey Than! Making dinner tonight?”

His brother rolls his eyes and scoffs. “As usual.”

Hypnos wishes he were better at housework at least, but it felt like Thanatos was always picking up after him. Always extending more and more of his time to Hypnos. It made Hypnos worry that one day Thanatos would get mad at him for never doing enough of his own share.

Hypnos is in a bad mood. These thoughts, he tells himself, are only making themselves welcome in his mind because of his bad mood. On any other day it wouldn’t get to him like this. 

Thanatos cooks and Hypnos watches curiously from the living room, peeking over an assigned reading he’s been trying to finish for the past week. Occasionally Thanatos glances over his shoulder to look at his twin brother, an unreadable expression crossing his face that confuses Hypnos. 

“You know, Hypnos, it’s evident you aren’t getting anywhere with your book.” 

Upon hearing that Hypnos freezes for a second. Then the book drops from Hypnos’ hands and he withholds a frustrated groan at his brother highlighting the obvious. Instead, he manages to keep a pleasant tone, “Yeah Than, it’s just really boring.”

Without looking away from the stove, Thanatos sighs as if it makes any difference to him whether or not that reading ever gets completed. “Then you might as well come help chop vegetables.” 

At hearing the suggestion, Hypnos perks up a bit. He gladly bounds over, eager to be of some help, hoping that it will help him move on from how useless he’s felt all day. 

They finish cooking together and then eat together too, which isn’t a common occurrence. But for once they sit in the living room and Thanatos’ mood seems to soften. He talks about his job, about the progress his research is making, about how he learns so much from the quiet company of butterflies. Hypnos is content to listen, responding with quiet “ _wow_ ”’s and “ _ah_ ”’s and occasionally, “ _that’s so cool, Thanatos_.”

When Thanatos finishes eating he disappears into their shared bedroom, suddenly distracted by a series of texts that light up his phone’s screen. And as usual Hypnos stays in the living room to study until any attempts at reading eventually turn to yet another nap. 

He wakes up again at 7:00 am, an hour before Thanatos, a headache pounding at his skull. There’s no time for breakfast, he needs to get to class on time for once. He’s not going to screw up again.

The thing is, Hypnos didn’t always feel this way. But then he had a few bad days that extended into bad weeks and now it had been a bad month. A bad month meant no sleep, not when he was stretched so thin between his courses at the university and his job. And between those two obligations was an unshakable tiredness that always clung to him. Lethargy that came with a cold bite, keeping his hands and feet always freezing. 

He knows his brothers see him as a lazy guy, but Hypnos can’t believe it. Not when he feels so exhausted all the time. Especially lately, the feeling growing with each day. 

He can't be tired for no reason, can he? 

Hypnos spends most of his lectures thinking about why he can’t break this streak of bad days. He can’t remember what might have signified the start of their cycle. Maybe he’s missing something. 

After his last class Hypnos spends whatever time he has before work trying to catch up on lectures he’s missed in the past week, and before he knows it he’s headed off to his next destination. 

It’s just starting to get dark and Hypnos wraps his scarf around his neck and shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket to fight the cold.When he gets on the train it’s half empty, allowing him a chance to sit down for the ride to work.

People come and go, but mostly come. It gets packed, people filling up the seats on either side of Hypnos. He feels tired and too warm, suddenly the scarf seeming constricting now that the train is full. He ignores it and closes his eyes, just for a moment, to extinguish the tired burn behind his eyelids, only—

When he opens his eyes again, it strikes him that many stops had come and gone, and though miraculously his own stop was yet to arrive, he finds himself more worried with the fact that he had fallen asleep leaning against the shoulder of the man beside him.

He jolts upright, apologizing profusely before he can even come to his senses entirely, vision still the slightest bit foggy with sleep.

The man’s voice cuts through his apologies, low and calm, “It’s okay, I didn’t find it a bother, rather, you seemed as if you needed the rest more than I needed your head off my shoulder.” He means it in a good-natured way but Hypnos is embarrassed, extremely so, and covers it with the nervous chatter he always resorts to.

“Still, I’m just so sorry, that’s the last thing anyone wants when they get on the subway, some random guy sleeping on them, so really, I’m so sorry,” He waves his hands in the air as he speaks, gesticulating despite the lack of need for it, “I get so tired working all the time, you know, and I guess I didn’t even realize I’d fall asleep like that if I closed my eyes for a second, let alone on someone’s shoulder.” He avoids looking at the man beside him, anxious and uncomfortably self conscious as he continues on, “You’re really kind not pushing me awake, honestly!”

The other man doesn’t say much, just a thoughtful _hm_. The silence, albeit brief, makes Hypnos fidget, so he finally opts for really looking at the stranger’s face. He regrets it when he realizes that he didn’t happen to fall asleep on any stranger, but a _handsome_ stranger, who now quirks an eyebrow at Hypnos, inadvertently sending him back into panic. 

The man is presumably a bit older than Hypnos, with broad shoulders and silver hair and reddish brown eyes that follow Hypnos almost too readily. Hypnos isn’t accustomed to the attention. The stranger has a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones and spread across his face is an almost symmetrical pattern of vitiligo, as if it were a calculated streak of face paint made to run from ear to ear. Hypnos finds himself wanting to stare at his face for a long time.

But more pressing issues are at hand. Before Hypnos can overcompensate for his nerves once more, the other man speaks again, “Where do you get off?” 

Hypnos blinks, the question taking a moment to register. “Oh… in two more stops. It’s a miracle that I didn’t miss it, now that you mention it,” He rambles, voice tapering off into a half-hearted laugh.

The other man glances him over once, which makes Hypnos suddenly wish he didn’t look so… well so much like himself.

Hypnos is tall, much too tall, and skinny, unlike the other man who Hypnos can tell has toned arms and a muscular physique under the stylishly loose leather jacket that he's wearing. Speaking of which, Hypnos hadn’t thought much of his own attire when picking it out this morning, not that he ever does, but suddenly his baggy jeans and oversized quilted red jacket made him feel sloppy and juvenile. 

The other man doesn’t seem to mind Hypnos’ appearance, attention still devoted to him as he continues talking, “Ah, headed home after a long day of work, I assume?” 

“Oh, I wish. I’m on my way there now actually. But I’m a student too, so it’s always one thing after another,” Hypnos explains, relaxing now and giving the other man a soft smile. “But what can you do, right?”

The other man nods thoughtfully, and Hypnos thinks now must be when he turns away and their conversation ends, but then he’s being asked another question, “What is it that you do that requires you work at this time?”

Hypnos smiles bigger then, eyes creasing at the corners. “Ah, I watch people sleep,” he chimes sweetly, tilting his head to one side. 

The other man seems startled by that, brows furrowed all of a sudden in confusion. 

Hypnos can’t keep from giggling, covering his mouth with one hand. He doesn’t quite catch it, but his laugh seems to bring the slightest tinge of wonderment to the stranger’s gaze.

“I’m a sleep tech,” Hypnos finally clarifies through his own fading laughter, “I monitor people while they sleep, see what’s making it so hard for them to stay knocked out at night, stuff like that.”

Hypnos laughs again when the man responds with a quiet “ _oh_ ”. 

To save the other man from any more embarrassment, Hypnos changes the subject, falling comfortably into conversation now, “And where are you headed?” 

“Just home,” He answers briefly, distracted by the train coming to a halt once again. Noticing that this is where he has to get off, Hypnos frowns with the realization that their conversation might be coming to an end just as he’s starting to relax. 

Hypnos begins to stand, hauling his bag up to hang it on one shoulder, “I guess this is my stop…” He thinks maybe he should at least get the other man’s name, but before he can speak he’s cut off.

“Let me walk you to your workplace?” 

The offer seems to surprise the other man too, because his eyebrows shoot up the second the words leave his own mouth. “It’s late out, is all I mean,” He rushes to amend, sheepishly looking away from Hypnos’ face for the first time. 

Hypnos giggles again. 

“I’m a big boy, you know,” Hypnos tells him, biting back another laugh when he notices the stranger’s expression twist with embarrassment. “And this is like...the safest part of the city,” He continues, glancing at the windows as the doors begin to slide open, and then bringing his attention back to the man before him, “But I’d like to accept your offer anyway.”

And even though distantly Hypnos still feels that usual exhaustion that drains him of all his energy, somehow he still manages a skip in his step as he walks out of the subway station beside this man. 

They walk rather slowly, or at least compared to Hypnos’ usual hurried pace towards the warmth of the medical center. He wants to take his time walking today, so he tries his best from letting the cold get to him. 

Hypnos hasn't forgotten what he had wanted to ask, so he takes the next opportunity to inquire as he had originally intended, "Your name, by the way?"

He watches the other man closely, drinking in the way shadows outline his profile when his gaze fixes on the path ahead.

"Ares," comes the other man's response, promptly followed by Hypnos nearly hitting the pavement as his foot catches on a crack in the sidewalk. The other man grabs him by the arm in time, saving him from crashing to the ground completely. 

Hypnos curses himself for getting so distracted, feeling his face flush with embarrassment as the man, Ares, pulls him upright.

"Sorry, I'm really clumsy," Hypnos mumbles, forcing an awkward smile in an attempt to regain his confidence.

Ares smiles back and pats Hypnos' shoulder with a heavy hand. In the back of Hypnos' mind a voice asks how much bigger Ares' hands must be than his own. 

"No need to apologize," Ares says, quickly breaking Hypnos out of his thoughts. 

Hypnos pulls his jacket tighter around himself and curls his fingers into his pockets again. When conversation between the two lulls, Hypnos asks himself why Ares is so interested in him anyway. Most people aren't. And with the way everyone was so busy with their own lives there in the city, it wasn't usual to get longer than a minute of attention from a stranger even if you weren't someone like Hypnos.

The wind picks up, pushing so hard that Hypnos nearly stumbles again, latching onto Ares’ arm for balance. Upon regaining his balance he quickly lets go and turns away to hide a sheepish grin, hoping that Ares assumes the redness of his face is from the biting cold and nothing else. 

If Ares does notice, he doesn't mention it. Instead he continues talking about something else, raising his voice in competition with the sound of wind howling against their ears. 

It's starting to get colder and the wind whips at them mercilessly. Hypnos feels guilty for dragging Ares away from his journey home when the weather is like this.

When Hypnos sees the building he works at he practically dashes up the steps, feeling suddenly energized by his nerves again. 

It isn't until he makes it to the top that Hypnos looks back at Ares who had stopped at the base of the stairs. Suddenly the distance between them feels incredibly vast. 

“Your name, by the way, I didn’t get it,” Ares calls after him.

Hypnos looks down from where he stands at the top of the steps and tries to shout above the sound of a gust of wind. But Ares doesn’t seem to hear it, shouting back a muffled “ _what?_ ”. 

The wind roars against Hypnos' ears. Or maybe it's only the sound of his own blood rushing, his heart beat curiously quickening at the sight of this man waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. 

It feels a little unreal. Hypnos thinks this might be what it's like when strangers meet in movies. He doesn't want the illusion to end. 

If he had really wanted to, he could be back down the stairs in a few seconds and he could tell Ares his name and get one last close look at that face he was so drawn in by. But instead Hypnos was afraid. 

Something tells him to take the moment for what it was, that this had to be the end of it. He doesn't want Ares to expect anything more of him, he doesn't want to disappoint. Wouldn't it be better if they were two strangers merely crossing paths once and then never again? So that Hypnos could be nothing more than a fond memory forever.

Hypnos half-heartedly tries again, and when he’s sure his voice won’t make it, he sighs and offers an apologetic smile before hurrying past the doors to make sure he makes it in time for his first patient.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyonee thank you for the comments and kudos it makes me feel cool C:  
> i've been so so busy and also funnily enough i'm so tired, so sorry if this chapter sucks hahahaha  
> I'll try to keep it shorter next time!

He’s spending another precious hour of his free time with his brothers. No, that doesn’t quite describe it. Spending time with his brothers isn’t so bad. And it’s been what… four weeks since he last saw Charon? Maybe even five. He can’t be sure, time had turned into a blur ever since he started working overnight shifts. 

Anyway, spending time with his brothers is not a bad thing. What _is_ bad is standing there watching Thanatos, stupidly oblivious Thanatos, getting hit on by the grocery store cashier. 

Hypnos groans, earning himself a whack on the back of his head from Charon. 

“ _Hey!”_ he hisses, rubbing where Charon had just hit him. 

Thanatos is taking annoyingly long to make the cashier realize he’s not interested, so Hypnos slips away from Charon’s side and takes the initiative of cutting into the conversation to make it clear, “He has a boyfriend, good try though!” And then he’s dragging Thanatos with him, turning once to give the cashier, who looks too confused to be offended, an encouraging thumbs up.

It’s not until they’re out of the store and walking back to their apartment that Thanatos starts up on his usual annoyance with Hypnos, “Hypnos, why on earth did you just do that? I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You’re so oblivious,” Hypnos sighs, rubbing his forehead as if just that one question from Thanatos were enough to give him a headache. 

He’s in a hurry to get home so that he can possibly squeeze in a quick nap before work. And watching either one of his brothers being flirted with is never an enjoyable use of his time. Especially not after the millionth time of having to stand around and wait for it to be over. 

Charon had had his fair share of relationships; he was charming in a curiosity striking way and although he wasn’t especially expressive, he was thoughtful enough to hold the attention of those who were initially lured in by other qualities of his. And though Thanatos often didn’t notice, it never escaped Hypnos that people were _always_ interested in Thanatos. 

And it didn’t make him jealous, no, not really. What he did feel was a pang of despair at the idea that something made his brothers desirable, something that he didn’t have. It was the shameful realization that, out of the three of them, something made him worth a little less. 

He had flings with people, sure, but that didn’t really matter. What mattered was right now. Here he was, in his twenties and living with his intolerably stern brother who, despite his cold disposition, somehow managed to hold down relationships longer than he could. More reminders that he must be missing something that his brothers had—no— something that everybody else on the planet had. Something that made him worth just a little bit less. 

Charon splits away from them just before they get to their apartment, heading in the direction of his own home, likely not to be seen for another few weeks unless some crisis in the home of the twins were to require his presence. Hypnos waves goodbye until he’s out of sight, leaving Thanatos to struggle with carrying all of their groceries up the steps alone. 

When they get inside Hypnos heads straight for his usual spot, the armchair by the window. His brother scoffs, “Really, Hypnos? You can’t stay awake for more than an hour?” 

The thing is, Hypnos is pretty sure he’s working just as hard as Thanatos, maybe even harder. He spent all last night finishing a paper and he had a shift later tonight. Was it really all that lazy of him to want to sleep a few hours between all that? 

But Hypnos doesn’t bother explaining it. Thanatos never seems to understand that Hypnos’ life is nothing like his, that working twelve hour shifts in the middle of the night and spending mornings at school leave him struggling to fit rest anywhere he can into his schedule. 

It’s better to ignore him, Hypnos decides, swinging his legs over one arm of the seat and resting his head against the back of it. 

He awakes later than he had planned and ends up having to skip dinner. Instead he heads straight out the door, almost forgetting his bag on the way out.

It’s not until he makes it on to his train and finds a corner to stand in that he pulls his phone from his pocket. He loops one arm around one of the rails to keep himself from falling and hold his phone up with the other. 

There’s a few texts from Thanatos, sent not long ago yet still likely when Hypnos was still asleep. He taps the notification to read through them, expecting a reminder for some chores to be done later, or maybe a complaint about something he had forgotten to do.

Instead, the very first message makes his heart sink. 

_Mother called me earlier._

Hypnos presses his eyes shut and tightens his grip around his phone. He doesn’t want to read the rest. Thinking about their mother makes him unbelievably anxious. Already he feels sick to his stomach. 

He opens his eyes again and sinks his teeth into his lower lip, chewing at it furiously as his eyes skim over the rest of the messages. Something about Thanatos had planned to mention it when they were all three at the grocery store together but he hadn’t been able to find the right time to say it. And then a premature apology for the distress Thanatos knew these messages would cause. And then finally, _She wants to visit later this month._. 

Hypnos does _not_ want to see her. Just the idea of it has his mind reeling. He glances around, suddenly feeling too confined standing there in the train, nothing but gray cement rushing by outside the windows on either side of him. 

He promptly exits out of the app, leaving Thanatos’ message unanswered. 

He really does not want to see her. Not right now when he feels like he’s slowly losing a grip of all the responsibilities in his life. Not before he’s caught up to Thanatos or Charon. He has to pull himself together first, which means he needs more time to stop being who he had always been. He didn’t want his mother to see him as the same disappointment she had left him as years ago.

He stands there simmering in his own misery, trying to distract himself with whatever social media app his finger hits first. The last thing he needs is for thoughts of his mother to interrupt whatever little space he had left in his brain. It feels like he can’t think of anything else to occupy himself with, not until a new thought manages to invade his perpetually foggy mind; a small memory of the man he had met right there several weeks ago. 

_Ares_. 

Where was his stranger now? Hypnos had hardly thought of him since seeing him that night. He had brushed it off as a particularly friendly encounter with someone he’d never see again. Quickly he had been absorbed by the monotonous cycle of his life once again, and memory of Ares was left behind. 

But right now, he remembers. And the thought of Ares distracts Hypnos from his prior inner turmoil. It’s soothing, almost, to have someone else to think of. 

Entertaining himself with curious thoughts of Ares holds him over until he makes it to work where the endless stream of patients and coworkers requesting his attention becomes the only thing he can think of. Time flies by, an unusual amount of patients to go around, leaving little time for Hypnos to even eat during his usual break. He’s exhausted by the time his shift ends, scrubs stuffed messily in his bag that feels a million times heavier than it did on the trip there. 

He stands outside the doors for a moment, taking in the cool early morning air. It’s always a strange feeling to walk into that building when it was dark and then to return at the end of a shift when darkness was just starting to lift. The sun was gradually climbing over the horizon, washing a soft yellow light over everything. In another half hour or so the streets would fill with traffic and people hurrying to their own jobs. 

Hypnos finally starts down the stairs and in the direction of the subway station, back aching from being on his feet for hours and the added weight of his bag only making the pain worse. 

The only thought occupying Hypnos’ mind then is that he needs to get home. He’s going to take a quick nap. And then he’ll eat. Or, no, he’ll take a shower, sleep, then eat? He spends a long time trying to decide on the order of events for the day. 

And he would have easily spent even more time ruminating had it not been for a familiar figure appearing in his line of sight. 

Just a few feet ahead of him was that man from the day on the train. _Ares_. 

Instantly Hypnos can tell it’s him. He’s wearing the same black leather jacket he had worn the first time Hypnos had seen him and his hair more silver than white under daytime lighting. Even from behind it was hard to miss him, honestly.

Hypnos stops walking. And then after a moment, takes his next step very slowly, allowing for the distance to grow between himself and the other man. 

The plan was to never see Ares again. It was why he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself. But in hindsight it was quite rude of him to do so, wasn’t it? If Ares were to confront Hypnos about that now...well he wouldn’t know what to say at all. The idea of that happening was mortifying. 

If he weren’t so hellbent on not being noticed by Ares, he’d have taken a moment to appreciate the funny coincidence of seeing him again today. After weeks of having completely forgotten Ares even exists, what were the chances that he’d run into the other man again on the one day he happened to think of him? 

Hypnos pauses, thoughts coming to a screeching halt as he realizes… would Ares even recognize him? It had been weeks since then and it had been dark when they met. There was no way Ares had looked at him _that_ closely, right? 

Nervously, Hypnos pulls out his phone to distract himself. But somewhere on it’s way from his pocket it fumbles between his fingers and slips right from his hand. Hypnos could swear he sees it dive towards the pavement below in slow motion. 

It hits the sidewalk with a hollow thud, hitting right on the corner where the padding of a decorated case defends it. It bounces once, clatters against the cement again with a painful sound, and then slides forward, screen facing down. Hypnos swears he could see it all in excruciatingly clear detail. 

And then it finally stops as it collides with the back of Ares’ shoe. 

In that moment, Hypnos’ soul leaves his body. 

Ares stops and turns around slowly, looking down immediately in search of what he might have stepped on. The phone lays there with it’s screen still against the pavement, some obscure WWE wrestler on the case staring back up at Ares. 

Naturally, Ares goes to pick it up. Once he stands with the phone in hand he takes a moment to stare at the case, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then he looks up, directly at Hypnos, and extends his hand with the phone in it.

Hypnos opens his mouth to say something, but Ares speaks first.

“...Wrestling?” 

_Ah_. That stupid phone case. Hypnos wishes he could disappear. 

Instead he laughs nervously, and snatches the phone back from Ares in a hurry, stuffing it hastily in his pocket without even pausing to survey the damage. “Oh, yeah, right, ignore that. But thank you,” He blurts, averting eye contact. 

He hopes that Ares doesn’t recognize him. Maybe he could slip away now with the excuse of needing to catch a soon to depart train. 

“You’re the guy from the subway. You fell asleep with your head against my shoulder.” 

Hypnos really, really wishes he could disappear. 

“Oh, yeah,” Hypnos answers hesitantly, wringing his hands together as he finally musters the courage to look directly at Ares again. He looks different in the daytime, no longer obscured by shadows. Better, even. The reddish tint to his eyes stands out more under the sunlight. He’s still handsome. 

Ares seems almost disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm in Hypnos’ response. He frowns and briefly looks conflicted as to whether or not he should bother continuing conversation. But then he speaks again, “Are you doing alright? You appear… Tired.” 

Hypnos grins weakly at that, nodding his head, “ _Exhausted_. Watching people sleep is not as easy as it sounds. And I’m starving, so I really just need to get home.” There’s something a bit sad about the smile he offers Ares. As if he’s apologetic about being so tired. 

In another thirty minutes or so standing there in the middle of the sidewalk would be unimaginable. But right now it’s just the two of them. Hypnos should ask why Ares is out so early. Usually it’s only Hypnos who is awake before the rest of the city is. 

He’s still thinking of what to say when Ares voice breaks him out of his thoughts, “Let me take you for breakfast?” 

Hypnos lifts his head, eyes widening in surprise at the suggestion. “What, _me_?” 

The other man frowns, confusion twisting his expression once more. He’s really trying, Hypnos can tell, to extend some type of opportunity for being more than strangers to one another and Hypnos isn’t making it easy. 

“Yes, you. Who else could I possibly be talking to…” Ares responds slowly, one eyebrow raised and voice trailing off awkwardly as he clearly struggles to understand Hypnos’ reaction. 

Hypnos laughs to cover his own awkwardness. “Right, right, of course that’s what you mean, and well… I think I could…” Hypnos’ voice wavers, and he looks to the side for a moment, clearly deep in thought as he tries to envision what his own schedule for the day looks like. When his attention flutters back to Ares, he’s surprised to find that the other man looks as if he were holding his breath in anticipation of a confirmation.

So, Hypnos figures, why not? “Okay, yeah, whatever. I have time to spare.” He can reschedule his nap for a little later.

Ares grins triumphantly, as if he’s scored a victory. Hypnos finds that… strangely flattering. Ares must think Hypnos’ time is worth a whole lot more than it really is. 

Hypnos falls into place beside Ares, still heading in the direction they both had started off. He notices now that he’s just a little bit shorter than Ares, which is saying something, considering Hypnos is pretty tall himself. He could rest his head on Ares’ shoulder pretty comfortably, he observes. 

Ares glances at Hypnos. Hypnos’ heart flips. 

“You look tired, let me take your bag,” He demands firmly, as if it weren’t an offer but a command. And Hypnos takes it as such, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as he complies, mumbling quietly, “Oh, if you’re sure.” Ares’ hand is already extended, waiting for Hypnos to give him the bag. 

Hypnos tilts his head and squints, giving Ares’ a sideways glance once he’s handed his bag over. Was Ares just being nice… or was this… an attempt at something more? Hypnos can’t be sure.

The weight off his shoulder admittedly feels great. And it feels great to watch Ares sling the bag over one shoulder. Hypnos’ bag. And Ares’ is carrying it. Hypnos feels weirdly giddy about that. 

It doesn’t feel quite like a part of reality to be with Ares. They’re practically the only ones wandering through an unusual silence. There’s no sign of life, save for the occasional car passing by and pigeons who survey the empty streets. The entire situation seems a little detached from the rest of life, as if the part that counts doesn’t start until the rest of the world awakes and is able to bear witness to Hypnos’ experiences.

He steals a few more glances at Ares when the other man is focused on crossing the street safely (Hypnos pays no attention to oncoming traffic). In the daylight and now standing on Ares’ other side, Hypnos notices that the side of Ares’ head is shaved close, and under stubbly white hair there’s a laurel tattooed in black ink.

“A tattoo on your _head_ ,” Hypnos marvels aloud, startling Ares with how suddenly he speaks up again, “That must’ve hurt, not that _I’d_ know though, I don’t have any tattoos.” 

“Oh?” Ares turns his head to look at Hypnos again. Hypnos’ heart performs it’s second flip. At this rate he would soon be able to call himself a gymnast— or at least call his heart one. 

Ares runs a hand through his hair, conscious of it now that Hypnos had mentioned it, “It’s an unpleasant feeling, to say the least.” 

The taller man is cool, _really cool_ , even, Hypnos thinks. He’s wearing all black, signature leather jacket old and worn into having it's own unique charm, and silver rings adorning one ear. Even the few nicks turned old scars scattered across his face add to his attractiveness. He’s all hard edges and sharp angles, the opposite of Hypnos, who’s soft and pretty. 

He could learn a thing or two from Ares. Hypnos leans closer, tilting his head so he’s looking at Ares almost sideways. “It looks cool, though. I should get one too.”

Ares chokes in an attempt to hold back a laugh. Hypnos smiles earnestly. “I mean it!” 

Ares doesn’t look convinced, grinning amusedly at Hypnos before the sight of the coffee shop steals his attention away.

He directs Hypnos into the empty little cafe on the corner of the street. To Hypnos’ delight it’s pleasantly warm inside. The smell of coffee and bread wafts through the small building, blanketing Hypnos in the desire to find a seat somewhere in the back corner to curl up in for a nap. 

But that would be rude to Ares. On any other day he’d indulge in the idea. 

After a quick glance over the menu overhead, Hypnos leans in close to Ares and whispers hurriedly, “Order for me,” and then heads off to pick a place to sit. 

Ares calls after him, speaking a little too loudly for the mellow atmosphere of the cafe, “I don’t know what you like!”

Hypnos turns around, walking backwards a few steps, “Think of it as a test!” He offers a thumbs up in encouragement before looking away again, leaving Ares with his bag and the burden of figuring out what to order.

As soon as Hypnos sits down at a booth he’s reminded of how tired he is. Maybe he should’ve stayed with Ares. Ares seemed to wipe away his exhaustion, replacing it with other distractions. Hypnos decides that after this he’ll go home to a nap. 

Not long after, Ares finds him sitting in a quiet corner. He’s carrying two drinks and a brown paper bag.

Hypnos props his chin on one hand, elbow resting on the table and a pleasant little smile gracing his lips. “Ooh, you’re here, let’s see what you got me.” 

Ares sets the cup holder down and drops Hypnos’ bag onto the seat across from Hypnos, sliding it to the end of the booth with one hand. Hypnos motions for the food, reaching out and grabbing at air until Ares passes it over. 

“I would like to remind you that I completely guessed,” Ares warns, sitting down across from Hypnos and watching carefully as the other man unfurls the folded top of the bag. If the deep frown etched into his mouth is anything to guess by, he’s pretty worried about pleasing Hypnos.

“You’re so serious,” Hypnos comments flippantly, dismissing Ares’ concern with the wave of one hand. “I’m not picky, you know,” He says as he reaches into the bag and pulls out a bagel wrapped in parchment paper.

He doesn’t bother even looking at what’s inside the bagel, immediately unwrapping and biting into it, swallowing in a hurry. To Ares’ surprise, Hypnos foregoes any further comment on the bagel and instead brings up his new impulsive decision again. “So about the tattoo,” Hypnos starts, speaking between mouthfuls of food. He didn’t realize how hungry he was. When was the last time he even ate? Yesterday after class but before work? Or was it even before class? He can’t remember at all.

Ares takes a sip of his coffee and slides the other cup across the table and into Hypnos’ waiting hand. “You can’t be serious?” 

Hypnos nods his head a few times in affirmation. “I really am! I think it’d be cool.” 

Ares sets his coffee down and frowns at Hypnos, but Hypnos is too busy tearing through his breakfast to even notice. “You need some time to think about tattoos, pick a design, an artist, all that,” Ares tries to explain, gesturing vaguely in the air with one hand.

Hypnos frowns. “There’s got to be some kind of shortcut.”

The other man hums thoughtfully, tracing one finger around the lid of his coffee as he thinks. He can’t think of any tattoo artist who would agree to letting Hypnos come in on a thoughtless whim. And he doesnt really want to be responsible for something as permanent as a bad tattoo. After a short pause a compromise seems to pop into his mind and he lifts his head at the realization, “A piercing instead, perhaps?”

Across the table Hypnos nods eagerly, mouth preoccupied with choking down the last of his bagel in a hurry. Hypnos’ instant agreement surprises Ares, sending him into a rush to backpedal, “However, I don’t mean to encourage your impulse decisions…” 

Again there’s that sweet laughter from Hypnos, one of his hands coming up to cover his mouth. “It’s okay, I think it’ll be fun, especially if you come with me.” 

Ares blinks.

 _Especially if you come with me_. 

Even though he had been against it only a second ago, he feels suddenly compelled to agree entirely with Hypnos. He hurries to answer, responding without missing a beat, “Okay, when?” Ares finds himself almost embarrassingly desperate to make Hypnos happy, and if taking him to get his first piercing is what it takes, who is he to turn down the opportunity?

He doesn’t even _know_ this guy, yet Ares is so hopelessly gone. There’s something so charming about him; his ringing laughter, the casual friendliness and playful teasing. He’s so… refreshing to be around. 

Hypnos doesn’t waste even a second in thinking this time, just as eager as Ares, “Now?” He can put his after-work-nap off for a little longer, this is important.

Ares shakes his head. “I can’t, you’ve caught me on the way to work already as it is. I can’t stay that much longer.” 

He groans as if that’s the worst thing he’s ever heard, but Hypnos isn’t going to give up that easily. He thinks deeply on when to enact their plan, pouting just slightly and brows furrowed. Then he lifts his head again, sounding hopeful, “Tomorrow afternoon? Whenever you get off work?”

Ares nods slowly, then pauses before speaking, remembering that Hypnos works on opposite hours to the average person. “Isn’t that too near to when you start work?”

At first Hypnos makes a small, confused _huh_ sound, and then he shakes his head quickly. “No, no, not tomorrow. I don’t work every single day. That’d be insane— I’d have gone totally nocturnal then,” Hypnos says, rolling his eyes as if what he’s just said is common knowledge. “I can come after I finish my classes.” 

The matter-of-fact attitude from Hypnos doesn’t bother Ares one bit. He doesn’t even acknowledge it. “Okay, sounds good. Let’s meet here at five.” 

Now that the plan grows more into a reality, Hypnos can barely contain his enthusiasm. Hypnos smiles, just about shaking with excitement, “Promise you’ll meet me back here?” Hypnos eagerly leans across the table and holds out his pinky.

Ares stares at Hypnos’ extended hand, confused, “What?”

“Promise me,” Hypnos insists urgently, looking up at Ares with such an intense stare that it throws him off. 

Hypnos’ eyes were brown, Ares was sure, because he’d paid careful attention to them that night they first met. But here in the cafe with a stream of sunlight filtering in through the windows, they appear almost golden. And he has a mole under one eye, a neatly placed dot, that Ares is secretly quite fond of. It’s cute.

The thing is, Ares likes Hypnos. _A lot_. He likes his curly almost-white hair and the dimples in his cheeks when he smiles and how his pale eyelashes fan out across warm brown skin and he especially likes the way he talks as if they were long-time friends. He wants to see Hypnos again. 

Even though it’s silly, Ares links his finger with Hypnos’, eliciting a delighted giggle from Hypnos. 

They head back to the nearest subway station together, Hypnos talking endlessly about some movie that he hasn’t seen himself, but plans to see. Not having seen it, he ends up rambling on about reviews and the general consensus on social media. When Ares asks for clarification, Hypnos says he doesn’t understand it either, lacking the context for it himself. 

They make the unspoken agreement to take their time getting to the station, but the morning rush of commuters starts to trickle in, pulling the two into it’s quick pace. They’re at the station much too soon. Ares wants to hear more about the movie Hypnos has never seen. 

They pause at the escalators to the above-ground platforms. This is where they part. It’s awkward. Ares kind of wants to kiss Hypnos. Hypnos wants to cling onto Ares’ arm and beg him not to go. Same sentiment, really. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ares asks even though he already knows the answer.

“Promise,” Hypnos confirms very seriously, nodding his head solemnly as if he were committing to something so much more important than a trip to a tattoo parlor. 

Ares removes Hypnos’ bag from his shoulder and returns it to Hypnos. It feels even heavier than the last time he held it. It nearly drops to the floor because Hypnos doesn’t expect it to weigh so much. 

Hypnos steps on to the escalator to his side of the platform. He turns back to look at Ares who stands there, lingering a few moments too long. Hypnos takes the opportunity to call out to him again, “I’ll see you soon!” Ares smiles and waves a hand in return, becoming smaller and smaller as Hypnos gets further up.

Once he’s at the platform he looks around restlessly, searching the other side of the tracks for Ares who is supposed to be waiting at the opposite platform for his train. Hypnos wants to get just one last glimpse of him before he goes home. One more look to hold him over until tomorrow when they meet again.

Minutes pass by, Hypnos squints at the escalator. Ares appears, just coming up now, his attention focused on the signs above. 

Hypnos cups his hands around his mouth and yells, unbothered by all the other people who turn to look at him too, “Ares!” He waves his arms in the air, just for good measure, and sure enough Ares sees him. He lifts his head, looking almost troubled, and hurries to the edge of his platform as if there was something important he had forgotten.

Ares shouts from his side of the tracks, “I still didn't get your name!”

The wind blows, crisp leaves shed from seasonally affected trees drifting past Hypnos. The rest of the world is so far down below them both. Finally, the sun has fully risen, making its brief appearance for the short winter day.

Hypnos shouts his name just as Ares’ face disappears behind an incoming train, the sound roaring against his ears and whipping his hair one way. His heart sinks. That was the last of Ares he’d be seeing today. 

He collapses into the first vacant seat he sees and presses his eyes shut. 

He needs a nap. 

XXX

Hypnos isn’t sure how long his nap lasts, but he’s pretty sure at this point calling it a nap is plain wrong. He got home some time quite early in the morning and had immediately gone to bed. Then next he awoke it was the middle of the night, sometime after Thanatos had come home and had dinner. 

Thanatos’ voice filters into Hypnos’ consciousness before he’s even managed to properly open his eyes. “I didn’t want to wake you but there’s still enough dinner for you.” 

Hypnos slowly blinks his eyes open, lifting his head only slightly to look at Thanatos across the room, sitting in his own bed reading a book. “Thanks,” Hypnos mumbles back. Thanatos doesn’t acknowledge Hypnos again, attention glued to whatever it was that he was reading. 

Hypnos showers, eats, and then gets to trying to finish some school work by the time Thanatos is getting ready for bed (at the normal time to get ready for bed). 

He pauses on his way to the bathroom to awkwardly watch Hypnos for a few seconds. Hypnos doesn’t look up from his laptop but he can feel Thanatos’ gaze burning into him anyway. He fidgets, uncomfortable with how Thanatos takes so long to say whatever it is he wants to say.

He straightens up in his chair and shuts his laptop. “Than, if there’s something you need to tell me, you can just say it. It’s not like you usually hold back.”

Thanatos opens his mouth and then promptly shuts it, startled by Hypnos calling to him first. Forced into starting a conversation he was neither ready for or ever wanting to participate in, Thanatos fidgets with the hem of his shirt and averts eye contact when he speaks, “I texted you earlier… about… Well, you know. About Mother.” He stops there to look at Hypnos, genuinely searching Hypnos’ face for an indication of how he feels. When he assumes it’s safe enough to continue, he clears his throat and speaks in a tone closer to his usual one, “Well, I mean to ask if you’re okay with that. I know you read the message.”

Hypnos tries not to look upset for Thanatos’ sake. He’s not really angry. He’s not even irritated by the topic. Instead, it fills him with unease and painfully uncontrolled nerves. His mouth feels dry and he chokes up, embarrassingly emotional just at the thought of everything their mother has said to him in the past.

“I don’t want to talk about this, you know how she is to me,” Hypnos argues weakly, knowing Thanatos won’t push him on this. It’s hard to find any mercy from Thanatos who is scrupulous in everything he does and expects the same from all others. But at least he has the sensitivity to understand Hypnos when he needs it most. 

His shoulders sag in defeat and he simply nods, blowing out a low sigh and shaking his head. “Ok, Hypnos. It’s fine, I just wanted to make sure.” And then he continues on his way. Hypnos knows there’s no hard feelings, they’ve had conversations like this before and they all go the same, so he pays it no more attention and instead immediately gets back into studying.

Thanatos passes by a few more times, tidying up the living room and kitchen before he goes to bed. He complains a few times about whatever minor mistake or mess he finds while doing so, which is sign enough that he’s recovered from the tense atmosphere from only fifteen minute ago. 

“If you go to bed later make sure to turn off the living room lights,” Thanatos reminds as he passes by Hypnos sitting in his archmair. Then he continues past the doorway into their bedroom. 

Hypnos nods and gives a thumbs up, though Thanatos likely doesn’t see it. “Good night, Than!”

Thanatos shuts the door. 

It’s just Hypnos and his reading. And a million different thoughts about Ares. 

He reads a line of text. And then he spends ten minutes or so replaying a bit of his last meeting with Ares. And then he reads another line, maybe two, before returning to wherever he left off in his recap of the prior day. 

Ares is so nice.

No, his sudden adoration for Ares isn’t really so shallow. There are a lot of things that make Ares _nice_ , but when it comes down to the bare bones of it, Ares treats Hypnos a little differently than the rest of the world does. It’s a pleasant change to have someone like Ares amidst his daily life of being dismissed and spoken down to.

So, admittedly, Hypnos might’ve been in the wrong to try and get rid of Ares the first time he met. But it must be fate that he’s getting a second chance. 

Hypnos is a little paranoid, still, that this is only a temporary infatuation Ares has in him. He’s not really sure what Ares sees in him, honestly, but whatever it is, Hypnos can’t guarantee it’ll be enough to keep Ares’ interest for long. He tends to end up being inadequate. 

The sun rises with Hypnos as it’s witness. He’s seen so many more sunrises than any ordinary person would in their entire life. His one accomplishment, he thinks, knowing the sun better than anyone else did. A monument of how pathetic he really was, his legacy nothing more than an excessive amount of nights spent awake when the rest of the world slept. It reminds him again of how disconnected he is from everybody else on earth. 

_Whatever_ , Hypnos thinks, lifting himself from his chair and heading to the bathroom, _it doesn’t matter_. He stares at himself in the mirror for a long time, arms braced on either side of the counter as he leans incredibly close to take note of every pore. The dark, purple-tinted circles under his eyes are still there, to his disappointment. Everyday, or night, depending on when he awakes, he hopes that he’s finally taken the nap that cures the deep set shadows that stain his skin. Of course, it hasn’t happened yet. But maybe someday. 

For the second time that day he thinks of how he’s not so sure what Ares’ sees in him. Because staring back at him in the mirror, Hypnos sees a miserable, tired little guy. Does Ares even see anything in him? 

Hypnos shakes his head furiously, making his reflection blur and distort in the mirror. When the axis of the planet resettles and Hypnos’ vision is no longer swaying, his face returns, the same as it has always been. 

The timeless reflection tells him that this is just another day. Another of the many bad ones he’s already had. That depresses him a little, honestly, though he at least has the clarity to be upset with himself for even thinking that in the first place. It doesn’t _have_ to be another bad day, especially not if Ares will make an appearance. No, maybe this will be the start of good days. 

He orders a coffee before class, making sure to have it made extra strong, to ensure he isn’t half asleep by the time he gets to go see Ares. He drinks it much too fast for how hot it is, but the intention of staying energetic long enough to enjoy Ares’ company encourages him to ignore how it makes the tip of his tongue go numb. 

XXX

Hypnos stops across the street before Ares can notice him. He wants to drink in the appearance of the other man standing there waiting for him. He’s leaning back against the brick wall of the coffee shop, arms crossed and head turned to watch traffic passing by. He looks so casual, so effortlessly attractive. It’s obvious he stands out, in a good way, by how passing by strangers turn their heads to glance at him as they stroll across the street.

Then Hypnos starts walking again, pretending as if he hadn’t just spent entire minutes watching Ares from afar, and instead acts as if he had just noticed Ares for the first time now. “Ares!” He lazily waves one hand and gives a dopey smile which makes Ares’ entire face light up too. It’s quite the accomplishment to wipe the stoic visage clear from Ares’ face when everything else in their surroundings had not been able to earn so much as a second glance from him.

“You’re here,” Ares smiles at Hypnos so fondly, looking him over as if he had missed the sight of him. Hypnos turns his head, hoping the way his face flushes isn’t obvious. He tries his best to ignore it, though the voice in the back of his mind says that that type of appreciation was in no way platonic. It couldn’t be, no, there was something embarrassingly shameless about it, but that’s a thought to investigate later. Right now, Hypnos pretends not to notice and nods his head, “I promised I would.”

Ares looks pleased to hear that, remembering linking his pinky with Hypnos’ much smaller finger in a frivolous symbol of commitment. “Good, I’ve been looking forward to it.” _Looking forward to seeing you_.

He looks at Hypnos again, this time not so appreciative, which makes Hypnos frown. Maybe he’s getting ahead of himself by expecting Ares to always be unabashedly obvious about his adoration for Hypnos, especially considering they’re barely friends, let alone anything more. 

Without any warning, Ares leans in and cups Hypnos’ cheek in one calloused hand. Hypnos tenses and holds his breath, caught off guard and startled into a brief panic. He feels like his heart stutters, stopping completely for a second, and then coming back alive with an especially painful kick of adrenaline.

Things are moving a little faster than he had anticipated. Are they going to kiss? Is that what they’re doing now? Hypnos was only just starting to sort out what Ares’ thought of him, and now all of a sudden Ares was leaping ten steps ahead. Hypnos’ mind is going a mile a minute and he thinks his heart might just leap out of his chest. He stares up at Ares with big eyes. What changed between yesterday and now that made Ares want Hypnos so badly?

The other man makes no move to get closer. Instead he delicately traces the dark circles under Hypnos’ eye with his thumb. His touch is so gentle, Hypnos can’t help but lean into it, eyes fluttering shut. He feels his heart rate dip, his nerves fizzling out as the thudding of his pulse dies down under Ares’ warm touch. His body feels like a puppet under Ares control, reacting just as he wills it to without Hypnos even getting a say in it. 

“You always look so tired,” he muses softly. _Oh,_ so, no kiss. 

Hypnos opens his eyes and looks up at Ares, the other man's hand still holding his face softly. He sounds embarrassingly vulnerable when he answers, voice barely a whisper, “I’m busy, that’s all.” 

Ares frowns and sweeps his thumb across Hypnos’ cheek again, a comforting motion that makes Hypnos’ lower lip quiver. “You have a lot on your mind?”

No, he can’t do this. He isn’t going to let Ares so close, he never lets anyone do so. No one wants or needs to know the real Hypnos who is not someone who is comedically lazy, but instead is the person who’s overcome with debilitating exhaustion at every turn of his life. The Hypnos who is deathly afraid of failure yet manages nothing but that. Ares is not welcome to those parts of Hypnos.

He pushes Ares hand away with his own, turning his head to break their eye contact before Ares is able to lure him any further out of his comfortable guardedness. “Just… It’s just work stuff,” he mumbles again.

An awkward silence drawls by, seeming to string out all of Hypnos’ feelings between them. He’s sure Ares can tell that there’s so much more wrong. But even if he does notice it, Ares doesn’t pursue the topic any further. Instead he clears his throat and straightens up, putting some distance between himself and Hypnos. For good measure he even shoves his hands into his pockets, understanding that maybe he should not have touched Hypnos at all without establishing any clear boundary beforehand. 

Hypnos takes a deep breath and lets his body return to it’s set point; easy-going and unwaveringly happy. That’s who he is. 

“The tattoo artist that I typically go to works with piercers too,” Ares explains in an attempt to change the topic. He begins walking, this time not sparing Hypnos another glance, “I assure you’ll be in good hands when you get your ears pierced” Hypnos follows blindly, thankful that Ares left behind the former topic with ease. And glad that Ares thought to sort out the details that Hypnos hadn’t considered even once.

“Oh, I don’t want earrings,” Hypnos says rather blankly, again speaking as if it should be common sense. “I was thinking more like… a tongue piercing? That would be cool, wouldn’t it?” And then he turns to Ares and sticks his tongue out as if to provide some type of proof or example.

Ares looks away quickly, as if it were inappropriate to look at Hypnos’ tongue, or to imagine him with a piercing there. But it’s too late, the idea invades his mind anyway, and it’s admittedly not one that he’d be opposed to seeing in reality. 

However, he still feels obligated to tell Hypnos otherwise. “That’s a big deal… wouldn’t you rather start with something less painful for your first piercing?” 

Hypnos shakes his head. “No.”

“Ok.” Ares isn’t going to talk him out of a tongue piercing. That would be ridiculous on his part.

They don't have an appointment, so Ares has to talk the piercer into it, using his repute as an old friend to convince them that Hypnos isn’t making an impulse decision. Hypnos sits behind him in the lobby while Ares advocates for him, tapping his toe against the floor. When Ares turns around and mouths _you’re good to go_ , Hypnos breaks into a grin that reaches his eyes.

There’s a bit of a spiel that the piercer has to go over. Hypnos isn’t too attentive to it, but Ares seems to be listening with extreme care, which is all the more reason for Hypnos not to listen.

“And no kissing for until at least six weeks after,” The piercer finishes off, patting Hypnos’ shoulder, “Sounds good?” 

Hypnos confirms without hesitation, “All good.” Ares almost seems to disagree. 

Excitement radiates from Hypnos, and he looks to Ares, wanting to share his enthusiasm. But when Hypnos glances in Ares’ direction, he seems less in agreement than he did when they first entered the place. Funnily enough, Ares looks a little unsure at the mention of all the things prohibited during the healing period (or at least at the mention of one of those things). It almost appears as if he would have interjected had Hypnos not responded so much quicker. 

But the time for second thoughts had passed. Hypnos rinses his mouth out as directed and lets them pat dry the surface of his tongue once he’s back in the chair. With his stare focused ahead to keep himself from accidentally moving his tongue, he blindly reaches out for Ares’ hand. He’s pleased to find it quickly, Ares giving his hand a small squeeze in an attempt to soothe him. Not that Hypnos seems to need it or anything. 

Hypnos sticks out his tongue. The piercer makes a mark on his tongue and secures the clamp around it. They lift his tongue and take a look at the alignment. 

Hypnos steals a glance at Ares from the corner of his eye and holds back a grin. 

“Okay, ready?”

Hypnos gives a thumbs up with his free hand. 

They hardly give him a chance to process what’s happening. One second his tongue is whole, and the next they’ve slid a needle through the center of it, nothing but a sharp pinch and the slightest taste of blood telling him it’s over. 

It takes a few moments more for them to put the jewellery through and secure it in place. And then he’s done, rinsing his mouth out once again before turning to Ares with a big smile. 

“Do you like it?” he asks, voice only slightly slurred by the foreign object in his mouth, though he knows later when the adrenaline wears away and inflammation sets in, a more bothersome lisp will make an appearance. 

Ares looks dumbfounded. “You didn’t react…”

“What?”

“They put a needle through your tongue and you didn’t so much as flinch.” He’s in awe, really. He meets this absolutely adorable guy in the middle of the night, which is an extremely lucky occurrence in itself, and then the guy only keeps getting stranger and stranger. He’s an enigma. One that keeps drawing Ares in further.

“Ohhh.” Hypnos brings a hand to his chin and tilts his head, reflecting on the feeling in his mouth. Then he breaks into a smile again, announcing, "It’s not a big deal!”

When they walk out the sun has set and a chilly breeze billows past them. They haven’t been together for long but Hypnos still feels weirdly tired all of a sudden. He wishes he didn’t. 

“Look, I’m sorry, I really like spending time with you,” It’s a bit forward of him to say that, but that’s how Hypnos prefers communication to be anyway, “But I have to get home before my brother starts making dinner and gets all mad because I didn’t help.” That’s not true. Thanatos would find something to complain about regardless of whether or not Hypnos got home late. And Hypnos rarely made meals for the two of them, so that expectation didn’t really exist at all. But Hypnos doesn’t want to tell Ares that he’s tired once again, repeating it like a broken record that only knows one bad excuse. 

Ares, understanding as ever, and a bit more careful after accidentally making things awkward earlier, doesn’t question it. He agrees easily, only offering to walk Hypnos to the train. 

“I’ll see you again?” Ares looks hopeful.

Hypnos nods his head. “Of course!”

And because Hypnos isn’t exactly in a state of clarity (he often isn't), he waves at Ares enthusiastically, beaming at him before turning around and disappearing past the slowly closing doors of the subway. 

Ares watches the train speed away, hurtling noisily down the tracks and vanishing into the dark tunnel. Only once it’s completely out of sight does he allow himself to groan in frustration, as if otherwise Hypnos might have seen and taken offense. 

Everything about Hypnos comes across as a green light to further pursue him and then he throws him a curveball like this. How could they see each another again if they had no way of contacting one another? It came across as an empty promise. There was no way they could follow through with it. Yet everything up until now had gone well, hadn’t it? 

Ares thought he was doing decently when it came to impressing Hypnos. Or, maybe not impressing, but at least pleasing him. To his surprise, Hypnos was difficult to impress. Charming Hypnos was tough considering he was so _perfect_ ; it was hard to compete with his radiance. So, for the first time in his life Ares was having to settle for other ways of winning someone over. And he had no clue if it was working. 

Hypnos was confusing. He was enthralling, yet he allowed Ares only the most superficial peek into who he really was. And Hypnos clearly appreciated being showered in attention, but he made no effort to help steer the direction of whatever their relationship was. He gave no more and no less, forcing Ares into a stagnant in-between; welcome to vainly attempt at winning Hypnos’ heart over, yet being promised nothing more than a shallow friendship at most.

Once his thoughts tangle into an incomprehensible disaster. Ares decides it’s best to head home too. He finally turns away from vacant tracks, thinking of how to reunite with someone who hadn't given him a phone number, or even a name. 

XXX

Hypnos gets home just as Thanatos is starting on washing the dishes. He foregoes his usual cheerful greeting in favor of making a beeline for his bed room. It’s not like Thanatos ever cares to respond anyway, and right now hiding the now aching piercing in his mouth is much more important. 

It’s not that Hypnos has to explain anything to Thanatos; his brother is not an authority figure over him. But he knows Thanatos will berate him for such an impulsive decision. And then he’d get into a lecture on how unprofessional a tongue piercing was, how it would become another roadblock in Hypnos’ already tumultuous path to “success”. Quite frankly, Hypnos doesn’t want to hear it.

He’s halfway across the room when Thanatos turns around from the kitchen and having noticed the absence of his usual greeting, asks, “Hypnos? Is everything ok?”

Hypnos turns around fast, spurred on by the guilt of hiding his latest dumb decision, and nods his head rapidly. He’s afraid if he speaks it might come out obviously slurred, so he avoids talking all together. 

Thanatos doesn’t seem convinced. It’s weird that Hypnos isn’t talking. But he’s not familiar with what that means and isn’t the best at navigating emotions, so he lets Hypnos off the hook, “Oh, ok then...if you say so.”

While Thanatos keeps busy with housework, Hypnos lays in bed inspecting his piercing with the front camera of his phone. He sticks his tongue out and stares at it for a long few minutes, turning his head side to side to inspect it thoroughly. It does look cool. And it hurts. But the former is more important. 

When he gets bored of staring at his own tongue, he collapses back against the pillows and closes his eyes. Somewhere in the background there’s the sound of Thanatos dropping something in the kitchen. 

Hypnos thinks about Ares. Ares’ hand against his cheek, holding him so tenderly. He touches his own cheek as if savoring the ghost of the touch that had been there. He almost wishes he hadn’t ushered Ares away from him and instead had welcomed Ares to know him more genuinely. Maybe next time he’ll give it a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont look at me i just think piercings are cool and hypnos deserves one...and well go big or go home  
> anyway hope this was fun, my writing process is so weird and all over the place but you know what i'm trying my best ok  
> i was going to post 2 chapters at once but i think it's too much pressure for me to finish both... but expect another soon!  
> ok im done talking now hope everyone is doing well C: as always comments and kudos are very appreciated!!


End file.
